Boot or shoe heel.



0 E. MAODUFFEE.

BOOT 0R SHOE HEEL. APPLICATION FILEDIIMAYQ, 1909.

@@ 1 625 Patented June 14, 1910.

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ANDREW '8. GRAHAM c0 PNDTO-UTHOGRAFNERS.WASHINGTON. 01c

TINTT %TATE% PATNT @FFTQ.

CHESTER E. MACDUEEEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR ro HIMSELF, WALTER H.COOPER, or NEW YORK, N. Y., JOHN L. GORDON, or WEST HOBOKEN, NEW JEEsEY,AND JAMES P. READ, 015 NEW YORK, N. Y.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHESTER E. MACDUF- FEE, of the city, county, andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boot orShoe Heels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to improvements in heels for boots and shoes, andmore especially to rubber heels and their means of attachment.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, yet exceedinglysecure and easily operated fastening device by which a rubber heel canbe easily and instantly attached to an ordinary leather heel.

My invention comprises a metal or other plate" which is embedded in therubber part of the heel and which has hook-like clips protruding fromthe edges of the rubber and extending above the same so that these clipscan be readily driven into the leather part of the heel, and further itcomprises clenching devices which automatically spread the clips so thatthey cannot accidentally be widened.

In ordinary boots and shoes the heels of several sizes are of about thesame shape and width, and so a device of this character is adapted toseveral sizes of shoes. The construction and operation of my inventionwill be fully understood from the description which follows, and thenovel features will be pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the heel embodying my invention, with theupper lift removed. Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1,but with the heel applied to the ordinary boot or shoe heel, and Fig. 3is a broken detail plan showing how the fastening clips are clenched.

The heel 10 can be any ordinary boot or shoe heel of leather or othermaterial, and the rubber lift 12 has embedded in it the plate 13. Thisplate is small enough so that its edges will not appear on the edge ofthe rubber liftlZ. On the surface of the plate 13 and near the edges,and preferably on four sides, are sliding clips 16 which moveSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1909.

Patented June 14, 1910.

Serial No. 493,504.

through keepers 17 and which have their outer ends turned up to formengaging hooks 16 The shanks of the clips 16 are split as shown at 18,and these forked or bifurcated portions are adapted to engage thebeveled clenching pieces 19 which are produced on the surface of theplate 13 and which are disposed so that the members of the split shank18 of the clips will strike them just before the hooks 16 are driven in,and when the clips are forced in, the members 18 will spread, as shownclearly in Fig. 3, so that they cannot be accidentally released. Theclips 16 can be driven in with a hammer, and the upper parts of thehooks 16 are embedded in the heel 10 so as to lock the lower rubberportion securely in place, and as the clips or hooks 16 are relativelyshort and narrow, they are not objectionably noticeable on the heel.

It will be seen that this device is a very simple one, and that it canbe very easily applied by an unskilled person. This is an importantfeature, because with most rubber heels, it is necessary to employ theservices of a cobbler to have them properly ap plied. With many devicestoo, the fastenings work loose, so that the heels come off after alittle wear, but it will be seen that with this arrangement the heelsare not likely to separate or become detached. It will also beunderstood that while I have referred to a heel, a rubber sole could beapplied in the same manner without departing from the principle of theinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent 1. As an improved article of manufacture, aheel having a resilient tread portion, a perforated plate embedded insaid tread portion, clips supported on the plate having their outer endsformed into hooks and means on the plate and in the path of the clipsfor deflecting the inner ends of the clips.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a heel having a resilienttread portion, a perforated plate embedded in said tread portion, clipssupported on the plate having their outer ends formed into hooks andmeans on the plate and in the path of the clips for deflecting a portionof the clip when the latter is driven in.

3. A resilient heel having a plate embedded therein, clips supported onthe plate and projecting from the upper portions thereof, said clipshaving their outer ends formed into up-turned hooks and their inner endsbifurcated, and abutment-s held on the plate and in the paths of thebifurcated clips,

4. A resilient heel, having a plate embedded therein, and clipssupported in keep 510 ers on Said plate, said clips having their innerportions split, and their outer portions formed into upturned hooks.

CHESTER E. MAODUFFEE.

WVitnesses l/VARREN B. HU'roHINsoN, FRANK L. STUBBs.

